Electronica Fans, recommend me some ESSENTIAL albums

See title, I am looking at boosting my collection.... I havent had any new music in AGES!!

 

I'm not big on electronica, but then that's largely because I've yet to hear anything that comes close to the elegant grooves of Kraftwerk, so… I'm gonna recommend their latest, Tour de France, which has proved to be a real sleeper and a timely reminder to all and sundry how it should be done; and a dip into their back catalogue, say, Trans Europe Express, which is worth it alone for Europe Endless.

 

How about some of the stuff on Toytronic? - Gimmik is especially good, most recently "Back To Basics". Squarepusher has a new album out on Monday called "Ultravistor". Venetian Snares is awesome (and mental) - check out "The Chocolate Wheelchair Album". Plaid's most recent album "Spokes" is very good, nice and melodic, but not as good as their best effort, "Rest Proof Clockwork". What about some European stuff - "Living Vicariously Through Burnt Bread" by Twerk, or any of the brilliant, minimalist work by American artist Dan Abrahms (aka shuttle358). Wevie Stonder is always very interesting, and amusing ('Eat Your Own Ears' is hilarious). LFO's "Sheath" is also very good indeed.

 

How about some Jean Michel Jarre?

Start with Oxygene and go from there. HMV have a sale on at the moment and I've just been in there. Oxygene was going for about £4.99, IIRC. I've just picked up 'Magnetic Fields', 'Equinoxe', 'Rendez-Vous' and 'Zoolook' for about £23 for the lot. His stuff seems to be available quite cheaply on a regular basis in HMV sales - I've picked up a fair bit that way.

 

Concord Dawn - Uprising. F****** brilliant.

Think of them as the Propellor Heads on some serious speed and you're part way there.

Check this link http://www.noizyland.com/home/view_band_info.asp?ID=281

You'll probably need to buy online as I dont think it's available in the UK, well it wasn't last time I checked.

 

Not sure whether you're looking for vinyl or CD but "Metro Area" Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani (Environ) is definitely a classic LP/CD.

In my opinion Morgan Geist's work will soon be as collectable and seen as being as influential as that from Kraftwerk, Derrick May, Juan Atkins, Carl Craig, etc.

"Driving Memoirs" (Geist again) is also excellent. In fact most of the Environ 12's are excellent (IMO)

Edit: just to clarify "Metro Area" and "The Driving Memoirs" are both available on CD, though "The Driving Memoirs" is getting hard to track down.

 

Greg, CD only I'm afraid, dont have a deck, but keep those suggestions coming, I am going to compile a list of stuff to buy.

BTW, i've just bought Muzikizum (?) and a couple of the Global Underground series, hope these are alright (only paid £6 each )

 

some GU stuff is great, some is pretty poor. it depends on your taste

 

Astrix - Eye to Eye
Biosphere - Microgravity
Cosmic baby - Thinking About \Myself
Dead Can Dance - Within The Realms of a Dying Sun
Doof - Its About Time
Eat Static - Abduction
The Future Sound of London - Dead Citiies - Lifeforms
Global Communication - 76:14
Hallucinogen - The Lone Deranger
Tangerine Dream - Legend
Woob - 4495
Shpongle - Anything !
Younger Brother - Flock of Bleeps

 

Personal GU recommendations include:

John Digweed - Sydney #006
John Digweed - Hong Kong #014
John Digweed - Los Angeles #019 <- v good
Darren Emerson - Uruguay #015 <- v good
Deep Dish - Moscow #021 <- v good
Deep Dish Toronto #025

 

Hi Paul,

No expert on electronica (I'd have to go to the other half for that) but getting interested. She says she's going to educate me Her recommendations go along the lines of Plaid, Plone, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Autechre and Boards of Canada.

Myself I've recently discovered Kraftwerk (why that took me 25 years I don't know ) and for some real antique electronica check out some of the stuff the BBC Radiophonic Workshop did. I'm sold on it - especially Delia Derbyshire's stuff.

 

Biosphere - Patashnik

Tangerine Dream - Tangram

BT - ESCM

Chemical Brothers - Exit Planet Dust


Hmmm, may be mixing my genres here. Sorry :shame:

 

Thats the thing - are we talking electronica or "Electronica" (read uk muso journo labelling)?
Personally I rope a wide range of electronic music into this category, but some folks get a bit anal about it - ie. if its not industrial, abstracted muzok (ie. if you can dance to it) then its not cerebral and thus uncool.
I dont share this view.

 

When I said electronica, I meant anything electronic, whether it be Paul Van Dyk or Jean Micheal Jarre.

BTW greg, I am sure I bought GU #06 by John Digweed. I also bought a one by paul oakenfold.

BTW, has anyone here heard of Jimmy Van M? I rate him very high, recommend checking out his album "Bedrock". For anyone who has heard of him, suggestions of similar music would be appreciated.

 

Ah well in that case check out

St Germain - "Tourist"
Llorca - "Newcomer"
Crazy Penis - Anything by them
Mr Scruff - "Trouser Jazz"

Pretty much any electronic jazz on the "Blue Note" label

Later Tangerine Dream - The stuff from the early 70's can be a bit self indulgant
Talvin Singh - "OK"
Vangelis - "Soil Festivities" - Great for just chilling out to
LTJ Bukem - the Earth volumes (3 seperate CD's)

God!!! and so much more that I can't remember.

 

Paul Van Dyk 'Vorsprung Dyk Technik'
Ferry Corsten 'Very Best of Ferry Corsten'

 

Got bored with listing out my CD collection - so, go to:

http://www.zerogain.com/music/

...and search on "Electronica". The categorizations are as CDDB gave them to me so may not all be correct.

Mike.

 

What do you mean by "electronica"?

Off the top of my head:

Spaceheads - Low Pressure
Nurse With Wound - Salt Marie Celeste
Nurse With Wound - Automating, vols 1 and 2
Throbbing Gristle - 2nd Annual Report
Throbbing Gristle - Assume Power Focus (if it's in print, it's brilliant)
Susumu Yokota - The Boy and the Tree
Fennesz- Field Recordings

-- Ian

 

How about something a bit more relaxing for a change:
LAMA SURYA DAS - Chant to Awaken the Buddhist Heart.
Minimalistic but excellent resolution of recording.

regards

 

i'd second susumu yokota - grinning cat and laputa too. also...
add n to x.
aphex twin
photek
squarepusher
cosmosis
transwave
chris liberator
lab 4
grid
salt tank
boards of canada
tomcraft
bt
4 hero
most things on the chaos unlimited web shop
cheers


julian